Horticultural consultant : Job description

Horticultural consultants support a wide range of businesses and public sector organisations in the successful development of their products and resources. The role may involve business consultancy or technical consultancy (in areas such as crop management, or for public amenities). The consultant researches the issue in question in order to identify practical solutions and advise the client of the options and the most effective solutions.

Clients may include: farmers; commercial growers specialising in protected and field crops, or flowers; plant and tree nurseries; and leisure and conservation organisations or public bodies involved in the restoration, operation and maintenance of parks, botanical and public gardens and other public spaces.

Typical work activities

A horticultural consultant may be a business specialist, experienced in the business problems of the horticultural industry, or a technical specialist, focusing on commercial or amenity horticulture. There is an increasing emphasis on considering the environmental aspects of horticulture and technology transfer, such as sustainability, and on quality assurance in the growing of crops and plants. 

Typical activities include:

• visiting horticultural clients on site, identifying their business or technical problems and investigating causes;
• analysing yields and the financial returns of existing commercial horticultural operations;
• preparing new or modified operational strategies and business plans;
• analysing horticultural and operational costs and the benefits resulting from existing or proposed public amenities and leisure locations;
• conducting environmental assessments and taking into consideration the environmental impact of any developments;
• visiting historical sites, researching old plans and documents, and planning restoration programmes;
• designing layouts and planning planting programmes for ornamental gardens or tree planting programmes with local authority officers;
• designing produce supply chain systems and supporting the infrastructure for processing, storage and transport;
• formulating solutions, planning and organising trials to assess their effectiveness;
• organising presentations, technical visits and demonstrations;
• helping clients meet the requirements of legislative regulations concerning quality, hygiene and employment;
• providing expert opinion for planning appeals and litigation;
• communicating with clients, colleagues and professional groups, through briefings, technical and operational reports and presentations;
• writing advisory leaflets, specifications and technical manuals;
• marketing the consultancy and carrying out essential administration, including records, budgets and accounts;
• keeping up to date in specialist areas and with developments in land-based sectors.